Improvement in road-pavements



M. K. COUZENS.

Improvement in Road Pavement.

No. 124,722. W PatentedMarch19, 1872.

Wnuwm: 11mm:

NITED- STATES PATENT FFIGEQ MATTHEW K. OOUZENS, OF YONKERS, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT lNROAD-PAVEMENTS Specification forming part of LettersPatent No. 124,722, dated March 19, 1872.

Specification describing a new and Improved Road-Pavement, invented byMATTHEW K. GoUzENs, of Yonkers, in the county of Westchester and Stateof New York.

Figure 1 represents a plan or top view of the artificial stone orconcrete blocks which conobject to combine strength and anti-frictionalqualities with simplicity of construction, convenience of laying and oftaking up.

The main difficult-y with ordinary road-beds for cities and townsis thatthe occasionaltakin g up of portions makes the even replacementdifficult, and often causes the subsequent sinking of the road at suchplaces.

My invention consists in the arrangement of prismatic blocks, made ofconcrete or artificial stone, and grooved on the surface, and in theircombination with an asphaltum covering, as hereinafter more fullydescribed.

A A in the drawing represents a series of prismatic blocks, made ofconcrete or artificial stone, all of equal size and form, and as hardand strong as they can be made. Their edges are made with alternate ribsand grooves a a,

so that they will lock together when placed upon a road; but every tenthgutter-block is made without such ribs or grooves to enable itsconvenient removal and that or" the blocks adjoining. The surfaces ofall the blocksAa-re grooved or indented to become sufficiently roughenedfor the attachment of theasphaltum covering. Such covering B,'sufliciently thick, is subsequently spread over the blocks, and formsthe actual road-bed.

By a heated tool the asphaltum can at any time be cut to detach theblocks beneath and permit their removal. joints are merely closed by theapplication of liquid asphaltum, so that hardly any material is wastedby such removal and replacement. In place of asphaltum, any equivalentbituminous covering may be used.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- A pavement, consisting of the grooved artificialstone or concrete blocks A A and the asphaltum or equivalent covering B,substantially as herein shown and described.

MATTHEW K. OOUZENS.

Witnesses:

H. H. TAYLOR, JOHN D. OoMsrooK.

After replacement the

